“What Did Mohan Bhagwat Say?”, Asks Ajmer Dargah Chief Amid Court Order Row

Ajmer:

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Ajmer Dargah, Syed Zainul Abidin Ali Khan, the Sajjada Nasheen of the Dargah, said on Thursday that anyone can file a petition for “publicity” and “personal interest.” He cited the example of the November 24 Sambhal stone-pelting incident in Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in the deaths of four people.

This comes after a Rajasthan court accepted a petition submitted by the Hindu Sena claiming Ajmer Sharif Dargah to be Lord Shiva’s temple.

“…Anyone can go to the court. And the court will entertain it (petition). There will be proper evidence, and the proof will be submitted. Then the final verdict will be passed. There is a long way to go,” Syed Zainul Abidin Ali Khan told ANI.

On a query regarding why the Dargah’s (shrine) are turning out to be the targets, he said, “It is their personal interest. Anyone can do it for publicity. You can’t forbade anyone.”

On the recent claims to mosques across the country, the Ajmer Dargah chief said, “What did (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat say in 2022? ‘How long will you look for a shivling in every mosque’? Same was done inside Sambhal. The consequences were that five innocent people lost their lives. Out of the five dead, two were the lone breadwinners.”

“How big is this setback (to their families)? They (authorities) do not have any remorse for it,” he said.

Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Owaisi questioned the conduct of lower courts, implying that the Places of Worship Act was being ignored.

The governance of Modi and RSS was weakening the brotherhood and rule of law in the country, he said, adding that they will have to answer for this.

“We have seen in Sambhal that five people lost their lives. This is not in favour of the country. The governance of Modi and RSS is weakening the country, brotherhood, and rule of law. They will have to answer this. All this is being done on the directions of BJP-RSS,” Owaisi said.

Earlier on Wednesday, a local court in Ajmer directed that notice be issued to three parties in a civil suit that claims that there is a Shiva temple in the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, the plaintiff’s advocate said.

Advocate Yogesh Siroja told reporters in Ajmer that the suit was heard in the court of Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel.

“The concerned parties have been issued notices; one is the Dargah Committee, the ASI, and the third is the Ministry of Minority Affairs. I am a descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty, but I have not been made party to it… We are in touch with our legal team,” he said.

Syed Naseruddin Chishty, Chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, criticised the rise in incidents where various groups are staking claim to mosques and dargahs.

“These incidents are on the rise in the country. Every second day we see groups claiming mosques and dargahs. This is not in the interest of our society and country. Today, India is becoming a global power. Till when will we remain stuck in the temple and mosque controversy?” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)